


Robin Egg Blue

by Vita_S_West



Category: Inspector Morse & Related Fandoms, Lewis (TV)
Genre: Fluff, Fluff without Plot, Knitting, M/M, Sweater weather, but with some totally necessary minor angst, here y'all go, what the f is a plot anyhow, yeah bitch it's time to KNIT
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-27
Updated: 2018-12-27
Packaged: 2019-09-27 11:40:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17161337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vita_S_West/pseuds/Vita_S_West
Summary: Lewis has knit Hathaway a sweater (✿◠‿◠)





	Robin Egg Blue

**Author's Note:**

> this is set in season 8!!

The box sitting on his chair when he comes in is so innocuous that James tosses it aside without opening it. It is too light to be paperwork, and thus outside the realm of urgency. He starts on yesterday’s paperwork, thumbing his way through the tediousness with only one yawn and some Bach in his earphones. Out of the corner of his eye, he watches Robbie milling about the office. The man seems much more distracted than usual.

“Everything all right?” James asks, barely looking up from his work.

“Er, yes.”

It’s clearly a lie.

James tries to turn back to his work, but Robbie is a constant, hovering distraction.

“Really,” James snaps suddenly, turning around in his chair, “are you all right?”

“Er, yes, I just,” Robbie stutters. He rubs the back of his neck. “Did you not like it?”

“Like what?”

“The sweater?”

James’s brows furrow.

“I left it on your desk…”

The box! James fumbles over the paperwork, yanking the box over. Inside was a robin egg blue sweater. James looks from the sweater to Robbie and then back again, not quite seeing what was in front of him. “You got me a sweater?”

“Yeah, I knitted it for you.”

This is even more confounding. “Knitted? _You?_ ”

“Yeah, I’ve taken up knitting."

"Why?"

"I wanted to try something new to relax me. Val always used to like it. When I was going through some old things and I found her needles and I thought, ‘why not’. I started with scarves and finger puppets, because they’re always looking for donations at the hospital. You know for the babies?”

“I didn’t know that.” It is so perfect, however, that James isn’t surprise. He can picture Robbie, on his sofa, fiddling about with needles, muttering to himself. “You knitted me a sweater.”

“Yeah.”

“Why not a finger puppet?”

“What?”

“Why not a finger puppet? In your own likeness perhaps?”

“I figured you knew what I looked like without the reminder. And that you were cognitively developed from your time with the police force, after Cambridge had been so lacking, of course.”

“Of course. There _was_ a severe deficit of finger puppets at Cambridge.”

“But not the seminary?”

“No, much of our exegetical discussion was done with the aid of finger puppets.”

Robbie snorts. “Besides, I wanted to knit you something practical that you might consider wearing.”

“It’s a nice colour,” James hears himself say. He feels the need to compliment it, to reassure Lewis, even though he still had no idea what to make of it.

“I’m glad you like it! You’ve been wearing so many dark colours lately I thought you might like something a little lighter. Y’know like you used to wear.”

This is somehow the most surreal part of the conversation. Robbie Lewis had been taking note of his sartorial choices, meditating on them, and then had come to a conclusion – that he liked James in brighter colours. James wonders what else he had been thinking of him. Did Robbie think of him each time he sat down to knit? Or was James just a passing thought in a cluttered mind? Had he been alone with Laura, but thinking of James? Had he been thinking of undressing him as well as dressing him? God, James hopes he did.

“Do you want to try it on?” Robbie asks, pulling him from his reverie.

Nodding, James jumps to his feet and yanks of his suit jacket. The sweater and the static ruffle his hair, but the yarn is soft around his wrists, if a little tight around his shirt colour.

"Does the wool feel okay? I wanted it to be thick, but soft."

"It's nice and plush," James assures him, running his fingers down his own sleeve.

“Oh, it’s a bit long,” Robbie says, yanking at the bottom, which sits well past James's belt. “I wanted to make sure that it fit you is all.”

He is about to crack a joke but he can see the tenseness of Robbie’s furrowed brow as he stutters out more information than is necessary. He can tell that Robbie wants him to like it. “It’s perfect. I needed something for the early morning chill. This is lovely. Thank you.”

“Oh. Not at all! I’m glad you like it.”

A giant grin splits across Robbie’s face and James finds himself smiling too. It’s been a while since he’s seen Robbie look so delighted.

With a gleeful chuckle, Robbie returns to his desk. James turns back to his work, wearing a somewhat oversized blue sweater and the knowledge that Robbie Lewis had thought of him carefully. He had studied him, considered his size, what yarn would feel nice on his skin, and what colours would suit him. In fact, Robbie had considered what colours he liked James best in. James feels a little thrill run down his spine and electrifying him to his fingertips. The smirk doesn’t leave him until the end of the day, and neither did the sweater.

**Author's Note:**

> this is dedicated to the morseverse discord whose opinions and advice about what colours James Hathaway looks best in were as varied as they were helpful. love y'all


End file.
